Plan well for commissary shopping

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Savannah

Many, many years ago my husband was in the Air Force. At that time I did almost all of my shopping at the commissary. The prices were great, but at the time I wasn’t the savvy couponer that I am now. Just like any other store, it is important for you to know the coupon policies at the commissary to maximize your savings. I’ve done some research recently to help some of the military and retiree families out there who may not be familiar with the policy.

I am definitely not an expert at shopping at the pharmacy, so I had to do my research. To understand the commissaries’ coupon policies I referred to the “Performance and Policy, Customer Service Department” document published on the commissaries’ website here: www.commissaries.com/inside_deca/publications/directives/DeCAD40_6_JN200... (Chapter 7, “Acceptance and Redemption of Merchandise Coupons,” Pages 41-49 ) If you are eligible to shop at the military commissaries, I would recommend printing these pages and keeping them in your binder.

The commissary has awesome prices because DeCA is required by law to sell all commissary items at prices just high enough to cover the items’ costs. The commissary is a great place to purchase items for a low price, especially those items that are not currently on sale at other stores.

Is the commissary always the best place for you to shop? No one store will always have the best price on everything. That is why it is so important to pay attention to the sales ads and shop around. Many stores also allow you to stack store coupons and manufacturer’s coupons but the commissary does not. By stacking coupons on sale items you can drastically reduce the price of the item. So even if the beginning price of the item was more, after the coupons are applied it could be significantly less.

The commissary does not offer double or triple coupons, which often makes some items a better price at other areas stores. Publix, Harvey’s, Piggly Wiggly, Kroger, Kmart, Bi-Lo, Fred’s, and Harris Teeter all offer double coupons and special sales promotions to shoppers. When a store offers double coupons the store may be taking a loss on those items. (They will only be reimbursed the face value of the coupon). They can afford to do this because they are either being offered an extra incentive from the manufacturer or they are making the price difference up on other products. By watching prices and buying only items that are on sale at those stores you can really shave a good bit off of your grocery bill.

Savvy Tip: Beware of some sales at other stores; not all “sales” are really a “sale.” They are meant to entice you into thinking that you are getting a good deal. Example: 12-pack of Cokes, three for $12 (limit three). $4 is a horrible price for a 12-pack of Cokes, yet it was still advertised as a “sale” in the ad. The key is to know your prices. Start a price book and list items that you regularly purchase at the commissary. You can then compare those prices to the sales ads to determine which place is the best place to purchase those items. (Keep in mind double coupons, store coupons and all other incentives when calculating the final price.)

Kraft also lists the current sales on their products at the commissary here: brands.kraftfoods.com/kraftmilitary, you can always search the coupon index at www.savvyshopperdeals.com/georgia to see if a coupon is available that matches the sale. Watch for coupons and special booklets at the commissary for additional savings.

Summary of coupon policy

The commissary will accept “Military Store Coupons” and manufacturer coupons.

The commissary does not allow you to stack a military store coupon and a manufacturer coupon. You must use one or the other.

Internet printable coupons are accepted, but printable coupons for “free” items that do not require a purchase will not be accepted. Copies of printable coupons are fraudulent and are never accepted.

DeCA does not participate in Walgreens Register Rewards per se; however, DeCA does accept the manufacturer coupons that print out on the registers at Walgreens and other retailers, provided the verbiage does not limit redemption only to the retailer advertised on the coupon. For example, if the manufacturer coupon states “Redeemable at” or “Redeem at,” we can accept it; if it states “Redeemable ONLY at” or “Redeem ONLY at,” we cannot. While these coupons may reference Walgreens Register Rewards or have a Walgreens or another retailer’s logo printed on them, we are accepting these as a manufacturer’s coupon. All commissaries were provided clarification on these types of coupons. If you experience any issues with redeeming them at your commissary, ask to see the manager on duty while you’re in the commissary or fill out a customer comment form at www.commissaries.com/YAL/customer_comments.cfm.

The commissary allows overage. If the coupon is worth more than the item costs per the policy you receive the full value of the coupon. Page 44, section N of the above document states: “Valid coupons will be entered at the value stated on the coupon. If the value of the coupon exceeds the cost of the product, the customer will be given the full value of the coupon.”

The commissary does not offer double or triple coupons.

Coupons that are beyond the expiration date will not be accepted in the states.

The commissaries overseas are able to accept coupons up to six months past the expiration date.

Military discounts

Many stores in our area offer discounts to individuals in the military and their families. I called most of these locations to verify the discount and have compiled a list. Please keep in mind the following:

At times the stores will exclude certain items from the discount and that they may require a military ID to get the discount.

Some places may only give the discount to the active duty military member and do not extend the discount to their family. Please ask at each store to verify the policy at that store.

This is not a complete list, regardless of where you shop, dine or attend a recreational activity you should always ask if they offer a military discount. If you know of other places that offer a military discount you can always write to me at savvyshopper@savannahnow.com and I will be happy to share it on the Savvy Shopper Facebook page and on the Savvy Shopper website.

Not all locations offer a discount, and the discount varies by location. I called each store to verify the discount for this list. Keep in mind if you are trying to qualify for a register reward that requires a certain dollar amount for the purchase, the dollar amount will be after the discount.